Germany steps up attacks on America on spying

Germany Sunday toughened the tone of its response to allegations that US intelligence agencies spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel, warning Washington that diplomats and embassies on German soil must obey the law, which considers eavesdropping on telephone calls a crime.

The German government reacted to a wave of media reports that Merkel's mobile phone had been targeted for more than a decade by spies working out of the US embassy in Berlin and that the operation was carried out with the apparent knowledge of US President Barack Obama.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement that ‘German law applies on German soil’, echoing a phrase uttered by Merkel last summer. The law applies ‘to Germans and foreigners, to citizens and businesses, and also to diplomats and embassies,’ Westerwelle said.